


We've Got You, Darling

by SiriGirl



Series: Whumptober 2019 [3]
Category: 77 Sunset Strip (TV)
Genre: Delirium, Fever, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I dunno I like how it turned out, Injury, Jeff and Stu are good husbands, Kookie hurt himself on a case, Multi, Polyamory, Throuple, Triad - Freeform, Whumptober 2019, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-12-16 20:47:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21042542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SiriGirl/pseuds/SiriGirl
Summary: Kookie got himself banged up out in the desert. Jeff and Stu come to his rescue, but find him delirious from fever.





	We've Got You, Darling

**Author's Note:**

> So-I'm hopelessly behind on Whumptober. I'm still gonna try and finish it, though!

“Aw, fuck, he’s got a fever.”

“Is he conscious?”

“No, I don’t think so. Kookie. Kookie! Can you hear me? It’s me, Jeff.”

“And Stu. Can you hear us, darling? What happened?”

Kookie wanted to answer them, really he did. But he couldn’t seem to make the words come out. Opening his eyes, he looked up into the concerned faces of his sweethearts.

Sort of. They were swimming, like he was underwater and they were above the surface. Was he underwater? He tried to feel for his arms, but couldn’t seem to move much. It was as if an invisible wall were holding him back.

“Ssh, ssh, don’t move.” Jeff-was it Jeff? Looked like Jeff-put a hand on his arm, pressing him back towards the floor. “Go get the blanket from the car. We’ll carry him out in that.”

Stu clambored to his feet and was gone from Kookie’s hazy line of vision. Jeff was still there, though. Stroking his arm, wiping his hair off his forehead. “Hey, darling. How are you feeling? You’ve got quite a fever here.”

Kookie tried to say something in agreement, but it came out of his mouth as a rather pathetic murmur. He closed his eyes and leaned against Jeff’s hand, which now cupped the side of his face. Jeff lifted him up onto something, probably his lap, and began to rock. Kookie made a noise of protest as his world spun crazily with the movement. Nausea rose in his throat, and stars danced in front of his eyes. He lashed out, pounding at what he thought was Jeff’s chest.

_ “No! No!”  _ his brain cried, but try as he might, he couldn’t get a sound to come out of his mouth. Luckily, Jeff understood and stopped the rocking motion, instead choosing to stroke his hair. “There, darling. I’ve got you. Stu!”

“I’m coming, I’m coming.” Stu’s voice sounded odd, like he was inside a glass jar or something. Kookie laughed. Man, that was a wild thought!

He felt knees against his side, and Stu’s hand on his shoulder and neck, patting. “I’ve got the blanket. It’s at least two hours to the nearest hospital, though. I hope he can hold out until then.”

“We can give him some water and keep him warm.” Jeff sounded matter-of-fact. “I’ll drive, you can sit in the back with him.”

“Alright.” There was a brief scuffling sound, and he felt hands on both his shoulders. “Kookie?” Jeff was speaking again, but his voice sounded strange, a bit high-pitched. “We’re going to lift you onto the blanket now. We’ll carry you out to the car in it. Okay?”

He tried to nod, but his body was not cooperating with what his brain wanted. He was able to squeeze Stu’s knee when his roving hand encountered it. Stu patted his shoulder in return. “We’ve got you, darling. You’re fine. Just lie still.”

Kookie did as he was told. Which was easy, considering he wasn’t having much luck moving his body. He felt paralyzed, his nerves not carrying the signals his head so desperately wanted to initiate. He felt himself being lifted, then set down again. Underneath him was something soft. Must be the blanket Stu had gone for.

He smiled again, unsure why he did it. There was a rushing sound in his head as he was lifted again. Jeff and Stu were talking, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying. Jeff and Stu. The best damn husbands a man could ask for. He was lucky to have them in his life.

He felt the gentle rocking as he was lifted, carried. The light changed around them, got brighter. Ah, that’s right. The desert. He’d been in the desert. He vaguely remembered driving a ways, then walking out here. He’d been looking for something, what he couldn’t recall. And then he’d fallen into that gulley and cut up his ankle. He’d wandered for a while. He didn’t really remember much after that. Somehow, he’d found the cabin. He had no idea how long he’d been there, drifting in and out of consciousness. He remembered it had rained for awhile. He thought it had been night, rain in the darkness sounded right. Maybe? He wasn’t sure.

Being set onto something a little harder jolted him slightly back into to the present. “Get in,” Jeff’s voice-was it?-was saying. “Put his head on your lap, then you can keep an eye on him.”

“Good idea.” Stu settled in beside his head, and Kookie felt himself pulled onto the other man’s lap. Stu’s hand was in his hair, gently stroking. “Relax, darling. We’ll get you to the hospital.” He switched to talking to Jeff. “How’s his ankle?”

“Bad.” Jeff was poking around, causing pain. Kookie groaned and tried to roll away from him, but apparently succeeded in kicking his husband.

“Oof!” Jeff’s voice got farther away. “Ouch.”

“Are you alright?” Stu shifted, pitching Kookie’s center of balance. He saw stars as nausea rose in his throat again and he clutched at Stu’s jacket.

Stu put a hand on his head, quickly realizing what he had done. “I’m sorry, darling. Breathe.” Stu’s hand slid into his, and Kookie squeezed it. “Jeff, darling? Are you okay?”

“Fine.” Jeff’s voice sounded odd. “He kicked me in the teeth. It’ll be fine once the bleeding stops.”

“Here, take my handkerchief.” Stu reached again, but this time was careful to immobilize Kookie’s head while he did it. “Yours is all bloody.”

“Thanks.” Jeff touched Kookie’s leg again, gingerly, this time above the gash. “It’s infected, that’s for sure. Let’s get him to the hospital.”

“The sooner the better.” Stu went back to stroking Kookie’s hair as the door shut, bouncing them both slightly. No other door opened, so Jeff must’ve vaulted into the driver’s seat. A thought lodged into his head as the car started. The notebook! They couldn’t leave without the notebook! It was what he had come for, their only hope in solving the Ritter case. Reaching out, he pounded on Stu’s arm, wrist, hand, anything to get his attention.

It worked. “Hold on a second, Jeff. He’s upset.” Stu leaned down over him. “Kookie? What is it? Tell me, darling.”

Kookie tried desperately to get his mouth to work, to no avail. “N-n-n-o…”

“No? No what?” Jeff queried, his voice high over the sound of the engine. “We have to get you medical help.”

Kookie shook his head, pounding on Stu’s wrist for the second time. He tried again. “B-b-o…”

“Oh! The notebook!” Realization dawns on Stu. “Jefferson, give it here.”

There is a scuffling, and then Stu is curling Kookie’s fingers around the small, leather-bound journal. “You feel it Kookie? It’s right here. We got it safe and sound, thanks to you. You were lying on it.”

Kookie relaxed, clutching the book to his chest. He could relax now, his mission was complete.

“There’s a boy, you get some rest.” Stu’s hand was still in his hair, stroking. “Jeff? Get us to the nearest hospital.”

“Yes, darling.” Jeff shifted gears with a squeak, and the car crept towards the dirt path that served as a makeshift road.

\----------

The drive was a pleasant one, well, as much as it could be when you couldn’t commune with reality. The breeze chilled him, made him shiver, but Stu tucked a wool blanket around him. It was scratchy, but it kept him warm. Stu and Jeff talked on and off, and the light started to fade. The air was getting cooler, too. Evening. It must be evening.

After what seemed like an eternity, they stopped.

“Is he awake?” Jeff’s voice was faint. Kookie wasn’t sure whether he was really hearing it or not.

“I think he is.” A hand, probably Stu’s, gently stroked the side of his face. “Darling, we’re here. We’re at the hospital.”

“I’ll get them to bring out a stretcher.” He felt a kiss on his cheek. “I love you, Kookie.”

Footsteps lead away from the car. Jeff’s. They must be Jeff’s, because Stu was still stroking his face. He leaned into the hand, comforted by its coolness.

“I love you,” Stu whispered in a low voice, leaning down to kiss his forehead. “Hang on for us, darling. Jeff and I will be right here. You’ll be right as rain in a couple of days.”

Kookie smiled faintly, not able to make his body respond in any other way. He wanted to say “I love you, too, dad,” but his mouth was not responsive at the moment.

“Over here, he’s delirious. We don’t know quite what happened, but he’s pretty banged up.” Jeff’s voice was calm. Kookie smiled again. He loved his husbands so very much.

The car doors opened, Stu was suddenly not under him anymore, he was being lifted. Or maybe he was. It felt more like floating. Man, he was way out. Not that he cared. He was dropped onto something a bit softer than the car’s seat and started to protest when it moved. It was making him dizzy, so dizzy. Colors swirled, and he lashed out.

Comforting hands settled on both of his shoulders. “Kookie, settle down,” Jeff’s voice soothed. “They’re just taking you inside the hospital. You won’t be moving for very long.”

“He’s been disoriented,” Stu was explaining. “Seems to get sick when he’s moving. He did pretty well on the drive, though.”

“We’ll be careful.” The other voice was rough and deep. Kookie didn’t recognize it. Must be one of the-what were they called again? He frowned, pursing his lips, as the word refused to come.

Orderly! That was it. He could still remember some things!

The light changed again, getting brighter. They were inside now, he couldn’t feel the chilly wind anymore. Cracking his eyes, he looked up into bright hospital lights. Jeff was on his left, Stu was on his right. They held onto his shoulders and looked down worriedly.

“Sorry, only immediate family in the examination rooms.” A man in a white coat entered the haze that was Kookie’s peripheral vision. He was looking at a clipboard. “You’ll have to stay in the waiting room.”

“Alright,” Stu said resignedly. Jeff nodded in agreement as they looked at each other.

Kookie wanted to cry. They were his immediate family! He didn’t want them to leave. They were warm and familiar and comforting. They were keeping him here, in his somewhat suspended state of reality.

Reaching out, he grabbed onto their hands as they started to remove them from his shoulders, holding as tightly as he could in his semi-aware state. “No…”

Jeff leaned down by his ear. “Kookie, we’ll be right out here. The doctor has to look after you now. You’re gonna be fine.”

“Absolutely.” Stu squeezed his hand. “We’ll just be in the waiting room. Come on now, calm down.”

Kookie squeezed his eyes shut again. He didn’t want to let go of them. A part of his brain was reminding him that he had to, and that he shouldn’t be holding their hands with people around, but he was having trouble caring or figuring out the reason why.

Reluctantly, he released them and felt himself start to move again. Everything went white for a moment as another wave of dizziness rolled over him.

“That’s Kookson, K-O-O-K-S-O-N. Gerald Lloyd III. Ankle injury.” Jeff was talking to the nurse now. “Born-”

“Please, take good care of him,” he heard Stu say before his world faded to black.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos and comments are always appreciated.


End file.
